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Breast cancer charity tells MPs vital improvements are needed to help bridge the gap in breast cancer survival rates

19 October 2011

Breakthrough Breast Cancer has today launched the Bridging the Gap in Breast Cancer Survival Charter, which outlines the commitments needed to make sure more women survive breast cancer.

At the 12th annual Westminster Fly-In campaigning event, more than 70 members of Breakthrough's Campaigns & Advocacy Network (CAN) joined with the charity to call on the Government to help save lives by committing to further improvements in breast cancer awareness, screening and treatments.

Nearly 48,000 women and 300 men are diagnosed with the disease each year, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. Even though more women are surviving breast cancer than ever before thanks to better awareness, screening and treatments, survival in England still lags behind some other European countries. If England was to achieve survival rates at the European best for breast cancer, an estimated 1,000 lives could be saved each year.

In response to this challenge, Breakthrough Breast Cancer developed the Bridging the Gap in Breast Cancer Survival Charter and believes that the Government can tackle this issue by supporting its key principles:

· promoting breast awareness messages to help drive early diagnosis,

· providing access for all eligible women to gold standard NHS Breast Screening Programmes

· maximising the potential of breast cancer research, to create personalised or targeted treatments.

Steve Brine, co-chair of All Party Parliamentary Group on Breast Cancer, who addressed CAN members, said,

“The country deserves a health service that can deliver the best for people affected by breast cancer. Saving an estimated 1,000 lives a year from this disease is something all MPs should aspire to. By signing up to and supporting Breakthrough Breast Cancer's charter we will be one step closer to achieving this vision.”

Chris Askew, Chief Executive of Breakthrough Breast Cancer said:

“Breast cancer knows no political, social or demographic boundaries – it has the ability to affect everyone. That's why more needs to be done to bridge the gap in breast cancer survival rates. It's great that the MPs here today have signed up to support our Charter but the next step is for us to see real action and for MPs to really throw their weight behind it so we can end the fear of this disease for good.”



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